Address by the Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, the Hon JH Jeffery, MP, at the Foundation for Human Rights’ Paralegal and Community Leader Training Course, Almond, Bridge, Malmesbury
Programme Director,
Mr Hanif Valley and Ms Deborah Byrne of the Foundation for Human Rights,
Facilitators, Mr Asraf Mahomed and Ms Ratula Beukman,
Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen.
Goeie more aan u almal en baie dankie vir die uitnodiging om hier te kan wees vanoggend. Dis ‘n baie belangrike geleenthied waar ons veral kan kyk na die werk wat gedoen word om mense meer in te lig oor die reg en hoe die reg hulle kan help.
In die verband ek is baie beindruk deur die werk wat gedoen word deur die Stigting vir Menseregte en die fasiliteerders in die aanbied van hierdie kursus, as deel van die groter Boland Area Menseregte Bewusmakingsprogram.
Baie van u sal onthou wat in 2012 en 2013 in De Doorns gebeur het. Stakende plaaswerkers en protesoptogte was die gevolg van plaaswerkers se eise vir ‘n daaglikse loon van R150 en vir beter lewensomstandighede, met basiese dienste en behoorlike behuising. Die staking het die aandag gevestig op die frustrasies van plaaswerkers en seisoenale werkers in die Boland wat armoede en onbillike arbeidspraktyke in die gesig staar.
Die staking en protesaksie het die nasionale regering genoodsaak om in te gryp en adjunk-president Kgalema Motlanthe het gespreksessies belê tussen landbou-rolspelers, soos plaaswerkers, vakbonde, gemeenskapsorganisasies, boere en landbou organisasies.
A national task team under the leadership under the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries was established and various roles and responsibilities were given to government departments, including my Department, the Department of Justice and Development.
Die doel van die taakspan was om 'n oplossing te vind vir die arbeidsgeskil op plase, om ander arbeidsgeskille te besleg, om beter lewensomstandighede vir plaaswerkers te bekom en om armoede te help verlig.
Tydens die De Doorns betogings is verskeie mense gearresteer vir openbare geweldpleging, onwettige betoging en/of saakbeskadiging.
Many of the arrested persons were farmworkers workers from the surrounding farming areas and the finalization of the matters were a priority as it impacted severely on the livelihood of many farmworkers. Monthly updates were received from SAPS, the National Prosecuting Authority, Legal Aid South Africa and the various courts.
The community submitted a full list of persons who were allegedly arrested and/or killed during the protest action and BAWUSA provided a list of cases. It amounted to approximately 54 accused persons and Legal Aid represented the majority of these accused.
Tydens hierdie proses het sekere aangeleenthede onder ons aandag gekom. Daar is nie genoegsame toegang tot die reg nie, veral vir landelike en arm gemeenskappe in die Boland area. Onregmatige uitsettings vind steeds plaas en toegang tot regsverteenwoordiging en regsdienste is onvoldoende. Mense is verder ook nie bewus van hul basiese menseregte nie. En, indien hulle wel bewus is van hul regte, het hulle nie die hulpbronne om hulle regte uit te oefen nie.
Dit het bygedra tot die noodsaaklikheid van programme om mense in te lig en meer bewus te maak van hul grondwetlike regte en om menseregte te bevorder. Die noodsaaklikheid van beter interaksie tussen menseregte instansies, nie-regerings organisasies en gemeenskaps organisasies in landelike gemeenskappe is ook beklemtoon.
Dames en here,
Hoekom is menseregte so belangrik vir ons mense hier op die platteland en veral vir plaaswerkers? Dit is belangrik omdat dit elke aspek van hul lewens raak. Vir ‘n plaaswerker gaan dit nie net om ‘n werk of oor die loon nie, maar dit raak ook hulle behuising. Baie van hulle woon hulle hele lewe lank op een plaas, dit is die enigste huis wat hulle ken. Dit raak hulle families en hulle kinders se opvoeding.
The purpose of this training course is to support communities to know their rights, further to know their rights in order to mobilise in defence of them, and where to direct grievances and demands.
Some of you may know who Cesar Chavez is. Chavez was a Mexican-American, he left school in the seventh grade and became a farm worker, because he did not want his mother to have to work in the fields. The family would pick peas and lettuce in the winter, cherries and beans in the spring, corn and grapes in the summer, and cotton in autumn. Chavez later became one of America’s most famous civil rights’ activists and he started the United Farm Workers Union.
But most people know Chavez for these famous words. He said:
“Every time we sit at a table at night or in the morning to enjoy the fruits and grain and vegetables from our good earth, remember that they come from the work of men and women and children who have been exploited for generations.”
Hy was van Amerika, maar dit wat hy sê is baie waar en is van toepassing op alle plaaswerkers, regoor die wêreld.
Ons weet dat plaaswerkers hier in Suid-Afrika baie swaargekry het, veral onder apartheid en dat baie van hulle van hul mees basiese menseregte ontneem is. Daarom is dit vir ons so belangrik om mense in ons landelike gemeenskappe bewus te maak van hulle regte.
Not many may know that our ANC’s former Treasurer-General, Mathews Phosa, wrote a poem years ago about the plight of farm workers here in Malmesbury. Hy het ‘n gedig geskryf oor ‘n plaas waar die onwettige dopstelsel steeds toegepas is. En in die gedig pleit hy vir menswaardigheid en beter lewensomstadighede vir plaaswerkers. Die gedig se naam is “’n Doppie op Malmesbury” –
“Dis ‘n feudal system, Jakop
Werk vir wyn tot jy bly lê
‘n doppie vir brekfis,
‘n doppie vir lunch
En ‘n laaste horinkie vir die bed.
Bly gekoring en hou jou bek.
Here, ek vra vir ‘n jop sonder dop.”
Because these types of human rights abuses took place for decades in our country’s sad history, we must do everything in our power to uphold the constitutional rights of all our people.
And we live in a changing society. While there are instances of human rights and labour rights violations still taking place in our farming communities, there are also many of our farmers who do treat their farmworkers with dignity and respect and who uphold their workers’ constitutional rights.
Daar is talle boere wat die menseregte van hul plaaswerkers beskerm, billike arbeidspraktyke handhaaf, omsien na hul werkers se behuisingsbehoeftes, hulle voorsien van basiese dienste en omsien na plaaswerkers en hul gesinne. Sulke boere stel ‘n voorbeeld vir ander.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Government’s National Development Plan acknowledges that the relationship between farmers and farm workers is sometimes a difficult one. Far better relations are needed to achieve the benefits of agricultural expansion, higher employment and better living conditions. A threat to normalising labour relations is the link between housing and employment on farms. This means, from a practical point of view, that farm workers remain highly vulnerable to eviction if they demand better wages and conditions, or try to get supplementary part-time work away from the farm.
Die regering het sedert 1994 wetgewing daargestel om plaaswerkers te beskerm teen onwettige uitsettings. Maar ten spyte van die wetgewing vind uitsettings en menseregte-skendings van plaasbewoners steeds plaas. ‘n Verdere probleem is dat plaaswerkers eenvoudig nie kan bekostig om hof toe te gaan om onbillike arbeidspraktyke of uitsettings teen te staan nie.
Labour laws depend mainly on unions to monitor and report violations. Labour inspectors cannot maintain an overview of all places of employment. In sommige gevalle is daar plaaseienaars wat weier om arbeidsinspekteurs op hul plase toe te laat. Slegs 13% van plaaswerkers behoort aan ‘n vakbond, teenoor 40% van mense in die formele sektor.
Government’s Vision 2030 provides for a strategy that will ensure access to basic services, food security and the empowerment of farm workers. It provides that options should be investigated to empower farm worker organisations to strengthen their ability to negotiate on an equal footing with farmer organisations. It also says that Government should investigate the possibility of using the proposed employment (wage) subsidy, by specifying conditions, not only to increase employment on farms, but as a means to strengthen working and living conditions for farm workers.
Hierdie projek, waarvan hierdie kursus deel uitmaak, is moontlik gemaak deur die Stigting vir Menseregte (of Foundation for Human Rights, soos hulle in Engels bekendstaan) in vennootskap met ons Departement. En dit is ‘n groot sukses. Tussen Maart en September vanjaar is 41 dorpe en omliggende gebiede besoek, soos onder andere Ashton, Bonnievale, Ceres, Clanwilliam, Graafwater, Montagu, Piketberg, Rawsonville, Robertson, Swellendam, Tulbagh, Wolseley en Wupperthal.
Through community radio and the flighting of one of the three plays on Cape TV, the reach has extended to around 650,000 beneficiaries, of which 16,500 through small scale local activities.
Six funded projects have delivered substantive learning through 1-3 day workshops on constitutional rights, on the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, ESTA, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, on the issue of labour inspectors, health & safety inspectors and the CCMA. There have been media activities that have produced pamphlets, posters and a community newspaper.
A youth camp on restorative justice was successfully held. There were a number of door to door awareness campaigns, information sessions were held in towns and on farms, as well as road shows on “Know your Rights”. Two more local amateur actor plays were put on in 3 towns each – “Jou Plaas, My Hart” and “Farmworker Renaissance”. Peacebuilding and conflict resolution brought specialised capacity development within rural and farm communities creating safe and trusted spaces to mediate differences. Advocacy involved “Farmworker Speak Outs” and sessions with the Department of Labour on community problems.
Hierdie kursus is aangebied hier op Malmesbury en ook op Caledon. Dit poog om nie-regerings organisasies en gemeenskapsorganisasies, aktiviste en gemeenskapsadvies personeel toe te rus. Participants engage in at least 50 contact hours of learning through course time and assignment mentoring and feedback. The course is designed to support activists to have a clearer substantive knowledge of the law and to use the law as a transformative tool of social justice and human rights activism.
Die doel van die opleiding is om gemeenskappe by te staan sodat hulle weet wat hulle regte behels en ook waar hulle hul griewe en eise kan lig. Dit fokus op sommige van die belangrikste menseregte, soos die regte van persone, ‘n persoon se regte in hul huis en in hul familie, hulle regte met betrekking tot behuising en grond, hul arbeidsregte en die regte van gemeenskappe.
On this issue of persons’ rights to housing and land, let me also highlight some of the work being done by our colleagues in the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform.
There has been an upsurge in farm evictions around the country, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal in the Newcastle area, in the Free State and Cape Winelands. Minister Gugile Nkwinti is sending officials on a fact finding mission to ascertain how to further strengthen support to affected farming communities and the minister has also called on the agricultural sector to take steps to help stop illegal evictions.
Farm workers and farm dwellers face many challenges when they are evicted illegally with their homes often being destroyed upon eviction. Elderly persons are at times dumped on the side of the road by farmers without any assistance or support.
Despite the government promulgating legislation to among others regulate evictions, including the Extension of Security of Tenure Act (ESTA), farm evictions are continuing to occur. Farm workers facing illegal eviction can contact the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform for assistance. Farm workers and farm dwellers who have been illegally evicted from farms can call the Department’s toll free number, 0800 007 095, where they will be assisted by a team of legal and mediation personnel appointed by the Department.
Dames en here,
Ek wil graag die Stigting vir Menseregte en die aanbieders opreg bedank vir die aanbied van hierdie kursus. En ook ‘n spesiale woord van dank en aanmoediging aan elkeen van u wat die kursus bygewoon het.
Paralegals will be able to use their learning to influence human rights struggles within their communities. With the knowledge that you have gained on this course, you are not only empowering yourself and your family, but really empowering your entire community as well.
Ek wens vir u alles van die beste toe. All of us, all South Africans, should be mindful of the words in the NDP:
“South Africa, our country, is our land. Our land is our home. We sweep and keep clean our yard. We travel through it. We enjoy its varied climate, terrain and vegetation. It is as diverse as we are. We live and work in it, on it with care, preserving it for future generations. We discover it all the time. As it gives life to us, we honour the life in it.
From time to time it reminds us of its enormous, infinite power when rain and floods overwhelm, winds buffet, seas rage, and the sun beats unrelentingly in drought. In humility, we learn of our limitations.”
Die Aanhef tot ons Grondwet sê dat ons, die mense van Suid-Afrika, glo dat Suid-Afrika behoort aan almal wat daarin woon, verenig in ons diversiteit. Dit bepaal ook dat ons die Grondwet aangeneem het om die lewensgehalte van alle burgers te verbeter en die potensiaal van elke mens te ontsluit.
Ek glo dat dit wat u hier geleer het beslis tot hierdie ideale sal bydra.
Ek dank u.
